Device for the propulsion of wire and thread



July 25, 1967 J. L. MISSIOUX DEVICE FOR THE PROPULSION OF WIRE ANDTHREAD Filed Feb. 3, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 25, 1967 s oux 3,332,597

DEVICE FOR THE PROPULSION OF WIRE AND" THREAD Filed Feb. 5, 1965 2Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,332,597 DEVICE FOR THE PROPULSHUN0F WIRE AND THREAD Jean Lon Missioux, Gamhetta, France, assignor toSociete a responsabilite iiznitee (lite: Botalam, Paris, France, acompany of France Filed Feb. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 429,969 Claims priority,application France, Feb. 5, 1964,

2 Claims. ci. 226-190) The present invention has for its object a devicefor the propulsion of wire and thread.

Wire propulsion devices have already been constructed, for example witha view to supplying machines for binding flat coils, wound coils orbundles of rods.

However, the propulsion devices which have been produced up to thepresent time have never proved fully satisfactory. While the wire is infact clamped to a sufficient extent to ensure its propulsion at the highspeeds which are now commonly achieved, a braking or stoppage of thewire upstream of the propulsion unit results in evolution of heatproduced by friction, thereby deforming the wire and causing it to loseits mechanical properties and can even cause it to melt. Furthermore,the starting and stopping operations create similar problems.

The aim of this invention is to overcome the disadvantages referred-toby making available to users a wire propulsion unit which produces apowerful clamping action on the wire but which acts in a progressivemanner over a relatively substantial length of wire, with the resultthat it is thus made possible to operate at high speeds without givingrise to any danger of braking action or stoppage of the wire upstream ofthe device and without requiring special precautions at the time ofstarting or stopping of the device.

To this end, a propulsion device in accordance with the invention isessentially characterized in that it comprises two plates mounted sideby side on a same shaft, at least one of said plates being mounted onsaid shaft with play, said plates being driven in rotation andelastically applied one against the other, means being provided forguiding the wire between said two plates over a portion of the peripheryof said plates and for Withdrawing said plates to a greater distancefrom each other over an opposite portion of said periphery.

As a preferable feature, one of the plates is keyed on the shaft anddrives the other plate, for example by means of studs which are integralwith one of the plates and inserted Within recesses provided in theother plate.

In a preferred form of embodiment of the invention, the guiding meansconsist of two half-channels which are formed in the internal faces ofthe plates and in which the wire can be applied by means of rollers.

In regard to the means for outwardly displacing the plates, said meanscan be made up of at least one disc and preferably two discs which areinterposed between the two plates over a small portion of theirperipheries, said discs being freely rotatable on a shaft which isparallel to the plate shaft.

It will be understood that there is thus provided a device whereby thewire is clamped over a relatively substantial portion of the peripheryof the two plates, the clamping action being both progressively appliedand progressively released.

In fact, inasmuch as the plates are slightly inclined in relation toeach other by virtue of the discs which move said plates apart, thedistance between said plates in the zone through which the wire passesdecreases first very slowly and passes through a minimum then increasesagain at an equally slow rate, thereby ensuring the clamp- 3,332,597Patented July 25, 1967 ice I ing of the wire to a sufiicient extent andin a progressive manner.

Moreover, the use of two discs makes the system particularly stablesince the plate which is not keyed is applied theoretically against theother plate at three points, thus forming an isostatic system.

A clear understanding of the invention will in any case be gained from aperusal of the description which follows be low, reference being made tothe accompanying drawings which show by way of non-limitative exampleone form of embodiment of the invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of the device;

FIG. 2 is a corresponding sectional view taken along the line ll-II ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the device itself, also in cross-section along theline IIII of FIG. 1 but on a larger scale.

It is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2 that a device according to theinvention is essentially composed of two plates 1 and 2, plate 1 beingfitted with play by virtue of a bore 3 on a shaft 4 and plate 2 beingkeyed on said shaft. Three studs 5 which are secured to plate 1 areadapted to work in conjunction with recesses 6 of the 7 plate 2 so thatsaid two plates 1 and 2 can thus be driven by the shaft 4. The plate 1is also urged against the plate 2 by a spring 7 which is interposedbetween the head 8 of the shaft 4 and said plate 1, thereby clamping thewire '9 which is applied by means of rollers 10 which are freelyrotatable on shafts 11 within a channel formed by two half-channels 12and 13 which are cut in the peripheries of the internal faces of plates1 and 2.

FIG. 1 shows that the wire-clamping action referred-to takes placeapproximately over a sector which is defined by the angle oz by virtueof the presence of two discs 14 and 15 which are inserted over a smallportion of their peripheries between the plates 1 and 2, said discsbeing freely rotatable on shafts 16 and 17 which are parallel to theshaft 4 and having a thickness which is chosen so that the two plates 1and 2 are set closer together in the zone of clamping of the wire 9.

The rolling path of said discs relative to the plates has been chosen soas to be preferably different from the path of the wire 9.

It can be visualized that it is merely necessary to drive the shaft 4 inrotation in the direction of the arrow F in order that the wire is thusdriven in the direction of the arrow F by virtue of the clamping actionexerted thereon throughout the sector which is defined by the angle a,said clamping action being in addition very progressive since the discsdraw together then move apart very slowly.

FIG. 3 shows the method of construction of the device which isillustrated diagrammatically in FIGS. 1 and 2.

There are again shown in this figure the plate 1, the conical bore 3 ofwhich is adapted to accommodate among others the heads of the screws 18which secure the plate 2 to the bushing 19, said bushing being keyed tothe shaft 4 by means of splines and applied by two locking nuts 20 and21 which are screwed on the shaft against the roller-bearing 22 byvirtue of which the shaft rotates within a shell 23. The keying of theplate 2 on the bushing 19 can also be completed by means of keys such as24.

The studs 5 which are inserted in the recesses 6 are held in position byvirtue of their slightly 'frusto-conical shape and by their screwedheads 25 which are fitted Within recesses 26 of the plate 1. Said plate1 is clamped by a series of frusto-conical flexible washers 7 which arefitted over a shaft end 27, said shaft end being fixed by a threadedbolt 28 which is engaged within an internally threaded bore 29 of theshaft 4. It is the head 8 of the shaft end 27 which clamps the washers7. The adjustment of the effort exerted is effected by varying thethickness of the washer 7 the clamping action can thus be applied bytightening up the bolt 28 which is then locked in position by means ofthe set-screw 30. The rollers 10 are rotatably mounted on the shafts 11by means of roller-bearings 31. As shown in the figure, said shafts aremounted in a flared portion of the shell 23 and said flared portioncarries a plate 32 which can form between the rollers as well as beforeand after these latter a wire guide 33 for the wire 9.

Finally, the disc 14 or 15 is carried by roller-bearings 34 which aremounted in conventional manner on the shafts 16 or 17 which are fiXed onthe flared portion of the shell 23. It will be noted, however, that thesleeve 16 is made fast for rotation by means of the lockingplate 16 butis freely movable in the axial direction within the shell 23. Therollers 14 and 15 can thus be freely positioned relatively to the plates1 and 2 and be adapted to any possible wear of these latter.

The operation of the device has already been explained in the foregoing.It need therefore only be added that a certain number of pairs of discs14 or 15 of increasing thickness can be provided for one device and thateach of these pairs can serve for a range of diameters of the wire 9.

It will therefore be apparent that, in addition to the advantages whichhave been described in the foregoing, the wire propulsion device inaccordance with the invention permits the possibility of supplying wiresof very different diameters owing to the fact that the two discs 14 and15 can be changed very rapidly, the changing of discs being in any caseefifected only if the wire diameter has changed to a considerable extentand being followed if necessary by a change of washer 7 It will furtherbe apparent that detail modifications can be made in the form ofembodiment which has just been described without thereby departingeither from the scope or the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. Device for the propulsion of wire and thread, comprising two platesmounted side by side on a first shaft, at least one of said plates beingmounted on said shaft with play, said plates being driven in rotationand elastically applied one against the other, means being provided forguiding the wire between said two plates over a portion of the peripheryof said plates and for withdrawing said plates to a greater distancefrom each other over an opposite portion of said periphery, the meansfor outwardly displacing the plates consisting of at least one discwhich is inter-posed between the two plates over a small portion oftheir peripheries and which is freely rotatable on a second shaft whichis parallel to the first shaft.

2. The device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means foroutwardly displacing the plates consist of two discs which areintercalated between the two plates over a small portion of theirperipheries and which are freely rotatable on shafts which are parallelto said first shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 473,254 4/1892 Dodge 74-230243,034,767 5/1962 Gordon. 3,193,254 7/1965 Minnick 74--230.24 X

M. HENSON WOOD, IR., Primary Examiner.

R. A. SCHAC-HER, Assistant Examiner.

1. DEVICE FOR THE PROPULSION OF WIRE AND THREAD, COMPRISING TWO PLATESMOUNTED SIDE BY SIDE ON A FIRST SHAFT, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PLATES BEINGMOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT WITH PLAY, SAID PLATES BEING DRIVEN IN ROTATIONAND ELASTICALLY APPLIED ONE AGAINST THE OTHER, MEANS BEING PROVIDED FORGUIDING THE WIRE BETWEEN SAID TWO PLATES OVER A PORTION OF THE PERIPHERYOF SAID PLATES AND FOR WITHDRAWING SAID PLATES TO A GREATER DISTANCEFROM EACH OF OTHER OVER AN OPPOSITE PORTION OF SAID PERIPHERY, THE MEANSFOR OUTWARDLY DISPLACING THE PLATES CONSISTING OF AT LEAST ONE DISCWHICH IS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE TWO PLATES OVER A SMALL PORTION OF THEIRPERIPHERIES AND WHICH IS FREELY ROTATABLE ON A SECOND SHAFT WHICH ISPARALLEL TO THE FIRST SHAFT.